Spring live wire connecter



Jul 23, 1935. H. CAIRD 2,009,289

SPRING LIVE WIRE CONNECTER Filed Jan. 25, 1952 Patented July 23, 1935 I 2,009,289.

7 2,009,289- srRnvG LIVE WIRE CONNECTER Harry Caird, Madison, Wis, assignor to Delta- Star Electric Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation'of Illinois Applic tio January 23, 1932, Serial No. 588,339.

I v *1 Claims. 01. 173 -273) My invention relates to,, a.n. improvement in wire in a simple-and effective manner. My conspring live wire connecters, wherein it is desired necter is adapted to be secured detachably on the to provide a connecter which is suitable for conend of an insulated stick of special construction, necting a cable or wire to alive wire or cable by means of which the connecter may be hooked :5 without the necessity ofturning off the current over the live wire and clamped into this position. .5 during; the operation. Y I V p u The insulated stick may then be removed leaving Connectionsare often made to livewires or the connecter clamped under spring tension to cables where 'itis impossible or impractical to cut thelive wire. 7 off the current throughsuch a live wire even mo- Other objects and novel features of my in:

10 mentarily. Such connections are ordinarily made vention, together with those which have been out- 10 at great risk to the linesman. My type of cable lined here above, will be more fully and clearly connecter permits the linesman to connect a cable set forth in the following specification and or .wire vto a live wire, .while at the same time claims. obviating the'danger t -the linesman ordinarily In the drawing forming a part of this specifi- 5' accompanying such an operation. V cation: r

The construction of my connecter combines Figure 1 is a perspective view of my connecter with thesafety feature a good isolderless elecbeing attached to a live wire. I

trical connection between the'attached cableand 'Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken lonthe live wireandinsures low electrical loss theregitudinally through the center of my connecter.

through. My connecter is designed to be used Figure 3 is a perspective view of the connecter 20 in the connection ofa cable'withthe live wire illustrated in Figures 1 and 2. r which may be suspended at some distance from My spring live wire connecter A is especially the ground without the necessity of coming .in adapted for use in connecting a. cable B to a live close contact with the live wire and without neceswire or cable C. The formation of the consitating-equipment whereby the linesman may necter A is designed to be suitable for this type 25 be elevated to the. wire in order to connect the of work. The connecter A is formed with a body cable thereto. My livewire connecter can thereportion Ill-which is somewhat hook-shaped. The fore beusedto connectacable-with -a live wire body portion IU is provided with an internally intermediate thesupports for thiswire without threaded boss attached integrally-to the lower the use of an elevating platform or other means endof .the same. Extending from' the boss ll, 3o for raising the linesman to theheight-of the live the body portion In is formed of a flat plate-like wire. member providing a rear wall I2 and which is It is a feature of my invention that my spring bent intoa hook shape to terminate ina projectlive wireconnecter may be used as a temporary ing lip'l3. A reinforcing rib I4 is formed. on the connection and may; beremoved at will,'leaving body portion I0 and holdsthe body p rtion rig- 35 no trace of such connection. Accordingly, temidly in shape. v i k l v porary lead wires may be secured toa live wire 1 An angularly. disposed channel lEyis integrally temporarily and may be removed wheneverde secured to, thereinforcing rib J4 atthe rear of sired. the body portion 1 0. Bolt holes extend through 1 NITEDASTATES P TEN OFFICE I 40. It is my object to provide a spring live wire the reinforcing rib I4 and through a boss 16 to 40 connecter to which a cable or wire may be first accommodate a U bolt IT. The holes [8 are opconnected and the connecter then looped over positely disposed on either side of the channel the live wire and secured in place. The conl5 and the U bolt I1 is equipped with a clamping necter construction includes a guiding lip which plate l9 pivotally supported to the bolt by cars acts to guide the connecter over the live wire 20. As the nuts 22 on the ends of the U bolt 45 and an adjustable clamping plate which may be I1 are tightened, the U-bolt forces the clamping clamped against the live wire when the conplate I9 tightly against the cable B, holding this necter is in place. A feature of primary imcableB firmly and providing alow losselectrical portance in my invention resides in a special connection between the connecter A and the formation of spring clamping means whereby cable B. 50 the connecter is secured, to the live wire under A bolt 23 extends vertically through the boss spring tension. This construction insures ahigh II and is pivotally connected at 24 to a clampefliciency electric joint between the live wire and ing jaw 25. Grooved spring arms 26 are secured the connecter at all times, and acts to hold the to the clamping jaw 25 and operate integrally connecter in any desired position on the live with this jaw. As the bolt 23 is rotated, the 55 clamping jaw 25 is raised or lowered, one side of this jaw bearing against the rear wall I2. The bearing of the jaw 25 against the wall I2 prevents the rotation of the jaw 25 with the bolt 23 and keeps the spring arms 26 in line with the groove 27 formed by the hook shape of the body portion 10.

When the spring live wireconnecter A is so.- cured in. place, the cable B is inserted in the channel it: and the nuts 22 are tightened drawing the U-bolt l'l against the clamping plate 19 and forcing this clamping plate in secure engagement with the cable B. When this cable B is in place, the connecter A is inserted on the end of a specially designed socketed insulated stick D of the type illustrated in Figure l of the drawing. The connecter A is then hooked over the live wire C, the outwardly extending lip I3 guiding the wire C into the groove 21 in the body portion It). When the cable C is in the groove 21, the stick- D is rotated. As a means for en gaging the head 28 of the bolt 23 is provided in the end of the stick D, rotation of this stick tightens the bolt 23 forcing theclamping jaw 25 and the spring arms 26 toward the cable C. As the spring arms 26 bear against the cable C, they flex the cable slightly, as illustrated in Figure 2 of the drawing, and hold the connecter A under spring tension so that the connecter may not easily move longitudinally along the cable C after it has been secured in place. The springs 26 clamp the cable C tightly against the grooved end 27 ofthe body portion I and form a. low loss electrical connecter between-the connecter A and the cable C. In this way, the cable B may be electrically connected with the live wire C virtually without danger to the linesman and in a manner to provide a temporary or permanent electrical connection between these two cables. The connecter may be readily secured to the-live wire or detached therefrom from a point remote from the live wire by means of the stick D.

In accordance with the patent statutes, I have described the principles of operation of my spring live Wire connecter and while I have endeavored to set forth the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that this is only illustrative of a means of carrying out the invention, and that obvious changes may be made within the scope of the following claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. A spring live wire connecter includin a body portion, means for clamping a cable thereto, a groove formed therein for receiving a live wire, a clamping jaw, means for moving said clamping jaw toward or away from said live wire, and spring arms on said clamping jaw adapted to bear against said live wire projecting beyond said body, on either side thereof and hold the wire firmly in said groove.

2. A live wire connecter including, a body portion, means for clamping a cable thereto, a groove in said body portion for receiving a. live wire, spring means adjustably secured to said body portion, and means for forcing said spring means toward said groove to clamp said wire in said connecter under spring tension.

3. A connecter for live electrical wires including, a body portion, means on said body portion for'securing a cable thereto, a groove in said body portion adapted to receive a live wire, spring arms movably secured to said body portion adapted to bear longitudinally against the live wire beyond said groove to hold the wire in said groove, and means for moving said spring arms toward said groove to clamp the wire.

4 A connecter for live electrical wires including, abody portion, means for clamping a cable thereto, a groove formed in said body, a bolt extending through said body portion, resilient arms secured to said bolt pivotally, and insulated means for engaging said bolt to force said spring means against a live wire bearing on the same beyond said groove to firmly hold the wire in the groove.

5. A connecter for live 'e'lectric'wires including, a bodyportion, means for clampinga cable thereto, a clamping 1 bolt extending'therethrough, a clamping jaw on said bolt adapted to slide along said body portion, to prevent the jaw from turning relative to said body portion, spring arms connected on and projecting on either side of said clamping jaw and means for engaging said bolt to clamp said spring arms against a cable extending through said groove.

6. A spring live wire connecter including, a body portion, a channel formed integral with said body portion, a U-bolt extending transverse- 1y over the back of said channel with the ends of the bolt extending through said body portion, a clamping plate on said U-bolt adapted to clamp acable in said channel, a groove formed in said body portion, a bolt extending through the lower portion of said body portion, a clamping jaw pivotally secured on the end of said bolt, spring means secured to and extending beyond said clamping jaw to resiliently clamp a wire extending through said groove when said'bolt is tightened. i

7. A live wire connecter including, a body portion, means for connecting a cable thereto, a groove formed in said body portion, spring clamping means extending beyond the ends of said groove, and means opposite said groove for urging said spring clamping means toward said groove to clamp a wire under spring tension in said groove. 1

, HARRY CAIRD, 

